


Grown (or 'Rob and Liv learn to live together')

by secondsofhappiness



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Lots of mess, M/M, Other, Weird gay brother dad dynamic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 14:05:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9823823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondsofhappiness/pseuds/secondsofhappiness
Summary: "I fell out with Gabby."It was difficult not to laugh. Teenage girls were predictable at best. He scoffed, shaking his head. "To think I'm letting my stir fry go bad for this."This time she lashed out, swatting his arm. "Rob, can you just be normal for once in your pathetic life."--------Little snippets of Liv and Robert's life without Aaron. (Spoilers)





	

**Author's Note:**

> I am smitten with these two and their weird little relationship and I have a feeling we're about to get tons more. I wanted to write a few little moments during their time together without Aaron. Their dynamic is so original and although this doesn't feature Aaron himself, it will hopefully be obvious he's always there in the room with them regardless.
> 
> (Also, as Liv is apparently a Little Mix fan, I had to go with this title!)  
> I hope you enjoy :)

It had been one of those days. Thankfully, Nicola had taken on two of the four meetings he'd had scheduled but the third and fourth had been frustrating and far too long for the amount of money they generated.

Still, it had become habit to park up alongside Mill and walk around the front of the house, looking up at whichever window had light as a reminder of home.

Stepping over the threshold, it was obvious Liv was back. She'd left her school bag by the door, half open and spilling onto the wooden floor with her muddy boots by the stairs ready for someone to break their neck. Robert sighed.

"Liv!"

A moment of rustling then the trademark stroppy stamped feet against the first floor carpet.

"What?!" she shouted back and he knew it was a bad day. 

"School bag and boots. Not going to say any more."

He heard a sigh and muffled mumbling, no doubt calling him all the names under the sun but still, Robert smiled, circling into the kitchen to start on tea.

It didn't take long for Liv to follow her nose. Half way into stir frying the vegetables, he heard the scrape of the newly purchased kitchen stools against the tiles. 

"Chicken stir fry," was all he said, not turning round yet because the soy sauce ratio was important and he'd been thinking about food since lunchtime. It had to be good.

After a moment of silence, Robert looked over his shoulder and his hands stopped circling the vegetables at the blotches staining Liv's cheeks.

He turned the hob off, settled the pan and rounded the kitchen island in seconds, pulling out a stool beside her. He waited, elbows on the bench, watching her fiddling with a tissue in her lap. He could see her chest shaking as she swallowed down more tears. 

After a wipe of her eyes, she spoke, voice small. "I don't know why I'm crying."

Aaron was better at this stuff. He had that big brother warmth, the kind that made you want to be close to him, to be offered one of his teddy bear hugs filled with affection. Robert knew he wasn't that guy, couldn't be the same but maybe he could be something else. 

"Life's a bitch?" Liv breathed out a shaky laugh, rolling her eyes. Robert looked down with a smile. Progress. "You can tell me to 'do one' like Aaron normally does or you can talk to me. I'm not bothered which but make it quick because I'm starving."

She looked up, started as if to argue but her lips quirked into a grin when she saw his own smirk. Robert raised his eyebrows in challenge and she physically relaxed, scrubbing her hands across her face to wipe away stray tears.

"I fell out with Gabby."

It was difficult not to laugh. Teenage girls were predictable at best. He scoffed, shaking his head. "To think I'm letting my stir fry go bad for this."

This time she lashed out, swatting his arm. "Rob, can you just be normal for once in your pathetic life."

With a simple raise of his eyebrow, Robert propped his head on his hand and turned towards her. "Pathetic, eh? Well seeing as you are 80% of it nowadays I'd rethink that because if I'm pathetic then I'd really love to know what that makes you."

After a beat, she laughed, a release of sniffles. "Shut up." She curled her sleeves over her fingers using them as tissues. Robert swallowed hard at the familiarity, his chest tight and weighed down with missing Aaron more as each day passed. 

"You going to tell me why you've fallen out?"

Liv picked at the hem of her sleeve, watching her fingers. "I might have said that I was pleased she'd split up with Jacob."

"Ouch. I mean I'm not known for my tact but that's pretty bold, Liv."

Liv drew in an uneven breath, her doe eyes flicking up to Robert's for a moment and his stomach dropped. He could see her hands shaking, the rigid way her shoulders refused to give in. "I didn't mean to upset her, it just came out."

"And what did you mean by it?"

He watched her fist curl around her jumper, knuckles turning white and knew this was one of those moments in life where everything changes. She was opening up to him, talking like she would with Aaron and everything about her screamed discomfort but she wasn't leaving in a mood; she'd chosen to sit and talk. 

"I don't know."

Robert took a deep breath. Liv was shaking and he took a risk on a gut feeling.

"Maybe you do know and you're just not admitting it to yourself."

Her head snapped towards him, eyes wide and more vulnerable than he'd ever seen them. She went to speak but words seemed to fail her, instead her chin wobbled just as tears flooded her eyes. It was then that she scrambled to leave, stool scraping and tissue falling to the floor. 

"You don't know anything," she snapped, turning to face him, half way to the door. He looked back and watched a tear track it's way down her face, dropping off her chin and onto her hoodie.

"I know a lot more than you think, Liv, and don't pretend that's not the case." He kept his eyes fixed on her as he pulled a handful of tissues out of the box on the counter, pushed in his stool and walked past her towards the lounge. "I'm going to order take away because that food'll be rank now so if you want in then come through here."

"And what? You'll pretend you're my dad and tell me I'm pathetic for being like this and that I should grow up?"

Robert closed his eyes and took a breath. Memories of strong arms in the sunshine and sitting on hay bales to catch a glimpse, big brown eyes and his own shaking hand as he'd handed over the odd cup of tea. Anything to help, to stay and to hold onto every feeling, overwhelming and new. 

He turned and thought of Aaron, of how he'd handle this. Liv flinched as his hands landed warm and wide on her shoulders but she didn't move, instead glaring up at him with red rimmed eyes.

"I'm not your dad, Liv, and I'm not going to pretend like all this isn't new for me but you know me well enough now to know that when I say stuff I mean it, right?" She nodded, biting at her lip and Robert's heart clenched in his chest. "You aren't pathetic and you don't need to grow up. If anything, you need to realise that your feelings now are just valid as feelings Aaron or I have, ok?"

"But -"

"No, Liv, I'm serious," he urged, holding her out in front of him and ducking to catch her eye. She looked up under wet lashes and studied him, his skin feeling the focus of her gaze and he smiled, for the first time seeing his place in her life. "When have I ever bullshitted you?"

She laughed then, all choked and messy but real in a way that he'd only seen on occasion. "Never, I suppose."

"Well then, you'll listen when I tell you that whatever is going on with Gabby and whatever you might feel isn't something to be ashamed of and if anyone tries to tell you otherwise you come and tell me, ok?"

Robert watched as she slid her foot against the wood of the floor, her lip now red from the pinch of teeth. Eventually she looked up, lip shaking. "I don't know what's going on."

"You don't have to, Liv. You just have to know that you're allowed to be confused and to feel stuff, you don't have to know what it means yet but nobody can make you feel bad about how you feel. Do you hear me?"

She nodded, reaching through his arms to wipe at her eyes. "I didn't want to upset Gabby, I just hated that she stopped spending time with me and when I saw her with Jacob trying to win him back I just felt sick and I don't know, I just, I don't -"

Robert watched her crumble, her cheeks stained pink to match the tips of her ears and he acted before his brain engaged. He pulled her towards him in one swift move, feeling her stiffen against him but as he looped his arms around her back and held tight, she pressed her face into his chest and relaxed against him with a choked sob. 

"We tell nobody about this, alright?" he said after a moment, feeling Liv's hands clenched in his jumper and smiled at the sound of her laugh, wet and unguarded.

"Like I'd tell anyone you have a heart," she mumbled against him. "They'd think I was insane."

With that he laughed, pressing his chin to her head and thinking only of Aaron, hoping he'd be proud and wishing he was close. He held her to him, squeezing her shoulders before holding her out in front of him, studying the frantic way she tried to school her expression. 

"Chinese?" 

She breathed out, visibly more relaxed. "Chinese." He dragged her hood up as he passed her. "I hate you." He grinned.

"Yeah, I know. Feeling's mutual."

He could hear her muffled laugh from the lounge.


End file.
